Simon Jordan reacts to what Dragan Solak has just done at Southampton | OneFootball

Simon Jordan has backed Southampton owner Dragan Solak for sticking with head coach Tonda Eckert after the 'spygate' scandal.

The 'spygate' saga involving Southampton took a fresh twist on Tuesday morning as a big update emerged on the future of head coach Tonda Eckert.

Eckert initially took over at Southampton on an interim basis in November after the sacking of Will Still before landing the permanent job the following month, and he guided them to a fourth-placed finish in the Championship after going unbeaten in their final 19 games of the regular season.

The Saints booked their place in the play-off final with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Middlesbrough in their semi-final, but they were expelled from the Wembley showpiece and handed a four-point deduction for next season after they were found to have spied on the Teesside outfit in the build-up to the first leg at the Riverside Stadium.

Southampton later admitted that they had also observed the training sessions of two other clubs, Oxford United and Ipswich Town, during the season, while it was also alleged that junior members of staff felt under pressure to carry out the spying missions that had been requested by Eckert.

Eckert broke his silence in a video shared on the Saints' social media platforms on Tuesday, with the 33-year-old apologising for the events that led to the club being removed from the play-off final and conceding that he is "responsible for everything that has happened", but he also claimed that there was a "bitter irony" to the punishment as the spying had little effect on outcomes on the pitch.

While there is still a chance that Eckert could receive a ban amid an ongoing FA investigation, Southampton owner Dragan Solak confirmed that the German has his "full support" to continue as head coach as he "deserves a second chance", describing him as "a super-talented manager".

Simon Jordan reacts as Tonda Eckert given Dragan Solak backing at Southampton

Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan claimed that Solak has made the right decision in sticking with Eckert, insisting that Southampton have already received what he described as a "disproportionate" punishment for the 'spygate' affair.

"Would I have sacked him? Well, they have been sanctioned," Jordan said on talkSPORT.

"The manager can clearly manage, so what are you going to do, double whammy yourself now?

"What is the point of falling upon your sword now? You've been sanctioned.

"Why would you want to have further indications of self harm?

"The way to have avoided this is not to have cheated.

"Dragan doesn't have any integrity because on one hand, he's prepared to argue the principle of the fact that there is an offence here that's cheating, but doesn't really value it that much," Jordan continued.

"I don't blame him because his belief is that the manager will get you to the promised land, and we've been sanctioned.

"To some extent, I understand why he would do that.

"Why would you fire the manager? Who are you doing that for?

"Do your fans want him fired? Probably not."

Dragan Solak should be praised for bold Tonda Eckert stance at Southampton

In the wake of the 'spygate' scandal, it would have been easy for Solak to sack Eckert, particularly as many Southampton supporters were calling for his dismissal.

However, the Saints were given the harshest of punishments for their actions after being kicked out of a game that could have earned them a return to the Premier League and over £200 million, so Solak understandably feels that there should be no further consequences from the saga, and he should be praised for not caving in to pressure and standing by his manager.

Of course, Eckert has plenty of work to do to win over those Southampton fans who remain angry and frustrated with him, and he will need to hit the ground running next season, but he deserves the opportunity to redeem himself and learn from his mistakes.